Press Release

 

 

Chief Secretary for Administration's speech at reception for PBEC members

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Following is the full text (English only) of a speech delivered by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at a cocktail reception for members of the Pacific Basin Economic Council at Government House this (Tuesday) evening:

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Can I say, first of all, how delighted I am to see you all this evening, particularly in the light of the fact that I have just come from a grilling in our Legislature, followed by a press conference on a very thorny issue that the SAR Government is having to face. That is the whole question of an influx of people eligible to settle in Hong Kong from the Mainland. But I am sure that you haven't come here to hear me say about our problem.

We've waited, as you know, since 1981 for this opportunity to welcome such a large and distinguished gathering of business leaders from the Pacific Basin Economic Council. We are, of course, very delighted that Hong Kong was chosen as the venue for the final International General Meeting before we change to that magic Year 2000. And I would like to thank PBEC chairman, Dr Helmut Sohmen, and the organising and steering committees for all their hard work in making this 32nd IGM such a resounding success.

I hope you are enjoying your stay in Hong Kong, as much as we enjoy having you. The last time I had an opportunity to speak to you was in Manila two years ago. At that time we were just six weeks away from our reunification with China and journalists were starting to gather in Hong Kong looking for "juicy" stories. And, of course, predicting the worst. I think we've proven them all wrong.

Here I am in Government House this evening hosting this reception two years later. And as you can see, I'm still the Chief Secretary. My senior colleagues are still serving the government. Expatriate civil servants work alongside their local colleagues helping to run the Special Administrative Region. And there are tens of thousands more expatriates living and working in Hong Kong. We remain very much THE international city of Asia. We have had a seamless transition to Chinese sovereignty.

Our biggest problem since the transition has been tackling the fallout from the Asian financial turmoil - a subject, I am sure, that has been discussed more than once in your meetings. But, as we have shown time and again, Hong Kong has an uncanny knack of rising to the occasion - working hard, staying in touch with the world, taking our chances, and beating the odds. We look forward positively to the challenges and opportunities of the new Millennium.

It's now my pleasant task to ask you all to raise your glass and drink a toast to the success of the 32nd International General Meeting in Hong Kong.

Photo: Photograph shows Mrs Chan proposing a toast at the reception

End/Tuesday, May 18, 1999

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